Energy
We continue to work toward our 20 percent energy usage rate reduction goal for 2015.
In fiscal 2011, our facilities used the equivalent of 539.3 kilowatt hours of energy per metric ton of production – a 6 percent reduction from our 2005 baseline.
Our usage rate remained flat because of lower production volumes.
That is due, in part, because we have several fixed energy costs at our plants – equipment like freezers and boilers – that require energy regardless of production volume.
In absolute terms, however, we reduced our total energy use by more than 49 million kilowatt hours.
We continue to make progress on a number of fronts. Our real-time sustainability teams at each of our plants are identifying energy savings and sharing them broadly so they can be implemented throughout General Mills’ facilities.
